Replaces your worn door handle mechanism on your Willys Truck or Station Wagon restoration project. This is a great kit to get your outside door handle working properly again. This kit consists of one trigger assembly with the spring and rivets.

Q: I need the door receiver that when you close the door it holds it in place. (Door latches) Pickup Willys yr 1963. Please confirm if this is the part I am looking for (outside door handle trigger repair kit).

A: Your are referring to the latch. It is only available used.

Q: Will these fit a 47 Kaiser special?

A: Sorry these are only for the Willys listed above.

Q: I need the chrome outside door handle unit, not just the trigger, for my 1949 truck. Do you sell?

A: That is available good used only.

Q: I got my truck but I don’t have a key for the doors. What should I do?

A: I would have a local locksmith rekey for you.

Q: I got my 53 willys pickup truck but the ignition key is different than the door and I need to be able to lock my truck what do you recommend I do?

A: You can have a local locksmith rekey your doors.

Q: I have a 1946 CJ-2A. I’ve completed most of the restoration. Have had the Tan Vinyl Top about 6 years. (REALLY!) I bought the Bestop kit from a dealer in Sacramento, Calif. He no longer is in business. NOW, but something happened to the door handles/latches. I have installed the top, but when I looked for the handles/latches, something happened to them. Guess they somehow dropped out of the carton. So, can you help me out? Need handles, inside and outside for both doors.

A: If you need parts only for a Bestop top I would go to Bestop direct. They should be able to match what top you have on there and help you out.

I have transformed this Jeep from when I first got it, but it has been a labor of love (it’s a good thing I’m a welder!) We have had a blast taking it out on trails and exploring new places. It is still a work in progress…

]]>http://blog.kaiserwillys.com/kaiser-willys-jeep-of-the-week-220/feed1“Ole Blue” – Willys CJ-2A Family and Lifetime Friendhttp://blog.kaiserwillys.com/ole-blue-willys-cj-2a-family-and-lifetime-friend
http://blog.kaiserwillys.com/ole-blue-willys-cj-2a-family-and-lifetime-friend#commentsWed, 25 Mar 2015 14:53:50 +0000http://blog.kaiserwillys.com/?p=34851Ole Blue is a 1946 Willys CJ-2A that has been a friend and part of my family since I was about 7 years old. Ole Blue belonged to John and Irene Brown, my parent’s best friends while I was growing up. My Dad and John would hunt together; deer, quail, rabbits, whatever. I was always with them, from their cabin in the pines to the hunting trips in the desert, I never missed a minute. When John passed away from cancer, Rene told my Dad that John wanted him to have Ole Blue. For several years after John died we continued taking Ole Blue hunting and giving rides to all the kids. My niece and nephews and sons and daughter had all enjoyed riding around in Ole Blue. In October of 2007, upon my return from a deployment to Iraq with the Army National Guard, my Dad told me he was giving me Ole Blue. My wife and kids and I immediately began dis-assembly. While I had planned to restore the old Willys, I wasn’t necessarily planning a complete frame-off. As I kept removing parts, I kept finding more parts that needed to be replaced. Every part was kept in various buckets, boxes and piles. We stripped the frame and repainted it. We boxed the front part of the frame. We rebuilt the axles, differentials and added all new brake components. We worked on the body. We rebuilt the transmission and transfer case. Then I went to “freshen-up” the old L-Head 4 cylinder motor and the block was cracked. Well, I got lucky. I found a guy selling an L-Head on Craigslist and jumped on it. I bought new rings, bearings, gaskets, etc. to freshen up the old L-Head motor. My buddy, Ron Wilson, did the engine for me.

When I started restoring Ole Blue I wasn’t sure if I was going to try to go all original or not. It didn’t take long to decide which way I was going to go. John Brown had made up my mind for me. He had done some interesting modifications to Ole Blue. He had welded a complete second skin on the body. He had converted the steering from Ross steering over to a Saginaw box and removed the entire bell crank assembly. He had replaced the original Willys cylinder head with a Kaiser cylinder head, which is actually a common modification as the Kaiser head adds a bit more horse power. There were a few other cool modifications “JB” made to Ole Blue that I actually enjoy… not for any other reason than it still feels like John’s Jeep. I did a few things to Ole Blue myself. I installed a modern wiring harness. I updated the steering so it will turn all the way in both directions. I found a temperature gauge that will work with the Kaiser head. I installed comfortable low-back seats. I also notched the rear fenders so I could move the seats back about three inches. I replaced the floor pans and built my own floor bracing out of 1” X 2” tubing. I built front and rear bumpers out of 2” X 4”X ¼” wall tubing and put a Rancho 2 1/2” suspension under it.

Well, I guess that is it for the story of my Ole Blue, for now. She looks good and runs great. I have to thank my kids for helping me working on her. I have to thank my wife, Jodi, for helping me work on her and for allowing me to spend the money it took to get the old girl back in shape. I have to thank my Mom and Dad for believing in me and my ability to restore such a treasured piece of our family. Last, but not least, I have to thank John and Irene Brown for years of friendship and lasting memories. I miss them both tremendously. I know they are both looking down and I pray they are at least a little proud of what I have done with Ole Blue.

Kaiser Willys Jeep Blog Story – Paul Mehaffie

If you would like to share your Willys Jeep Story please send us a line. We ‘d love to meet your Jeep.

Q: How is the backup light activated. I have a 48 CJ-2A. Is there some sort of sensor to turn the backup light on when reverse is used or will it be manually turned on by a switch?

A: You’ll have to wire it up to a switch if you want it to work that way.

Q: Is there a way to hook these back up lights to come on when you put it into reverse besides using a toggle switch?

A: I’m sure you could wire it that way.

Q: Will these fit right into the original mounting holes in the body of my 1970 CJ-5?

A: Yes if you originally had these on your vehicle it will.

Q: How far apart are the mounting studs for these lights? I’m looking replacement backup lights and tail lights for my 69 J-2000 Thriftside The lights mount using two studs like these. The backup lights studs are 2 3/16″ apart and tail lights are 2″.

A: 2-1/4″

Q: Will these work as additional light with the head-lights, and as turning with amber bulbs?

A: I’m sure you could wire it up that way.

Q: You list these for the older 2A’s, 3A’s and 3B’s. Were back up lights an option on those vehicles and if so, where did they mount?

A: Yes they can be used on all these vehicles. Typically people put them back on the tail light panel.

This is a 1961 CJ-5 Jeep that I restored for a customer of mine. It started out as plow vehicle with a half cab. Customer wanted the plow and cab left off. I started the project in September 2014 and completed it in February 2015. It was a total frame off restoration with all parts including a full metal body being purchased from Kaiser Willy’s. I did all the restoration myself other than frame and body paint. The paint job was performed by a friend of mine Steve from “Steve’s Auto body” in Cairo NY. I own a landscaping business in Catskill NY, “D&D Lawn & Power Equipment”, but do restorations on the side. This restoration included a full engine, transmission, transfer case and rear end rebuild. Every nut and bolt was replaced with stainless steel.

The owner Nick Lupoli had me restore this vehicle as gift for his Father Peter Lupoli. His father purchased the vehicle new in 1961 and had a plow and cab installed for use in his Roadside Repair Business. The vehicle sat in a field next to Peter’s business,” Father and Sons” in Catskill, NY for over 20 Years without use. His son Nick Lupoli believed it deserved to be brought back to “Life” and be a great gift to his father Peter Lupoli as it had belonged to his father originally. It will now be shown at many car shows in the future and be enjoyed by both father and son. I was very proud to be part of this great accomplishment and look forward to doing more in the future. Thanks for the help Kaiser! For more restoration photos Click Here

This 1949 Willys Jeepster was rebuilt and restored by Graham Beck in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England – it has been great to be able to purchase parts from Kaiser Willy’s (thank you). Graham has also restored a 1945 Willys Military Jeep and a 1946 CJ-2A Boyer Fire Engine here in Grantham.

]]>http://blog.kaiserwillys.com/kaiser-willys-jeep-of-the-week-218/feed4Creating New Memories in the Willys Jeep Familyhttp://blog.kaiserwillys.com/creating-new-memories-in-the-willys-jeep-family
http://blog.kaiserwillys.com/creating-new-memories-in-the-willys-jeep-family#commentsWed, 11 Mar 2015 15:57:06 +0000http://blog.kaiserwillys.com/?p=32068I thoroughly enjoyed reading Vaughn Becker’s post about his Lifetime with Willys Jeeps. I have also had a life time with Willys Jeeps!! Vaughn’s story is very special to me!! One of the main reasons is that Vaughn is my father!! We are very much a “Jeep” family. I also have a Willys Jeep and it is one of my most prized possessions. My bright yellow 1962 Willys CJ-5 was given to me by my Dad as a wedding present in Sept. 2005 after I used 2 of dad’s jeeps as my wedding cars. I absolutely loved arriving at the church in it. My husband Luke has caught the “Jeep Bug” and has spent many hours with his father in-law in the shed working on one jeep or another in the last 10 years, and in his own words “really enjoys it”. Luke also spent many weekends leading up to our wedding working on my jeep so that it would be ready for me to use. Luke even used needing to take some photos of the jeeps as an excuse to go and see my Dad and ask his permission / blessing to marry me. So as you can see Jeeps really are a big part of our family and we would not have it any other way.